Suffolk County Breathalyzer Machine

By Suffolk County DWI Lawyers

Suffolk County Police utilize Breathalyzer machines with a variety of technologies to measure the amount of alcohol in a person's breath and estimate their blood alcohol content (BAC):
Infrared spectroscopy
Shines infrared light through a breath sample and measures how much light is absorbed at wavelengths associated with alcohol. The more ethanol in the breath, the more infrared light is absorbed.
Fuel cell technology
Uses a chemical reaction between alcohol and an oxidizing agent to produce an electrical current. The amount of current produced is proportional to the amount of alcohol in the breath.
Potassium dichromate
Uses a chemical reaction between alcohol and potassium dichromate, which changes color in the presence of alcohol. The intensity of the color change is proportional to the amount of alcohol in the breath.
In Suffolk County, Breathalyzer machines typically use a partition ratio of 2100:1, which means that 2100 milliliters of breath contain the same amount of alcohol as 1 milliliter of blood.
If you have been arrested and charged with DWI driving while intoxicated and were subjected to testing on a Breathalyzer machine, you should speak with a DWI lawyer in Suffolk County.